The present invention relates to a device for local treatment of symptomatologies by means of laser application, for example for use in physiotherapy.
Use of lasers in medical and aesthetic applications is known.
In the more strictly therapeutic sector, the laser is used, for example, for conveying, through an endoscope and an optical fiber, a high-density beam of energy to the inside of an organ for the destruction of polyps by hyperthermia.
In the aesthetic field, the laser is used with low energy levels for anti-ageing treatment of the skin.
Essentially, the present invention is based on recognition of the fact that by applying an appropriately defocused laser beam within an appropriate range of wavelengths at given points of the epidermis of a patient afflicted by painful symptomatologies of various origins (deriving, for example, from past and recent traumas, arthrosis or rheumatism), the stimulation of the nerve ends by means of the incident energy causes a gradual reduction in, and in the end the disappearance, of the pain.
Therefore, the subject of the present invention is a device for laser treatment of painful symptomatologies, which comprises a first laser source, a first means of conveying the laser energy to a hand unit, and optical means of defocusing the laser beam which are positioned in the path of the laser beam.
Advantageously, the conveying means is constituted by an optical fiber, in front of the output end of which the optical means of defocusing are arranged.
It has been observed that particularly consistent effects and therefore rapid results in the reduction of painfll symptomatology are obtained by using a pulsed source which emits at a wavelength between 750 nanometers and 2.5 micrometers and preferably between 900 nanometers and 1.2 micrometers and with an energy level from 30 to 300 mjoules per pulse, and preferably between 100 and 200 mjoules per pulse. A particularly suitable laser source is the NDYAG laser with a wavelength of 1.06 micrometers. The frequency of the pulses as well as their duration are also parameters which have a considerable influence on the effectiveness of the treatment. It has been observed that the optimum frequency may optimally be selected between 10 and 40 Hz and preferably between 15 and 25 Hz for pulse durations which can vary between 100 and 200 microseconds. It is also preferable that only a single wavelength, for example 1.064 micrometers, be used to irradiate the body and treat the painful symptomatologies.
The hand unit can be held at the appropriate distance from the epidermis of the patient undergoing treatment by the operator. In order to make use safer and easier for the operator, however, the hand unit is in a preferred embodiment provided with a distance element to hold said optical means of defocusing at a predetermined distance from the body of a patient to whom the treatment is being applied, avoiding the necessity of determining and manually maintaining the optimum distance.
Again for the purpose of facilitating use of the device, it can be provided with a second laser source which emits at a wavelength in the visible range, and optical fiber or equivalent means for conveying the laser beam generated by said second source towards the hand unit.
The points where the application of the laser energy affords the major benefits, known as trigger points, are determined by the anatomical characteristics of the body. These are located, for example, in the region of the join between muscle and tendon. There is normally also a reduction in the thickness of the skin in this zone. Determination of the trigger point can be carried out on the basis of experience but this requires adequate knowledge of anatomy and can complicate the use of the device. Therefore, for the purpose of eliminating these disadvantages and of making the device easier to use, according to a particularly advantageous embodiment, a trigger point detector is provided, operating for example by measuring the resistance through the epidermis. In the region of the trigger points, in fact, resistance falls from normal values of around 200 kohms to values of a few kohms.
In one possible embodiment, the trigger point detector comprises a pair of electrodes associated with the hand unit, which during use are kept in contact with the body of the patient undergoing treatment and are connected to means for measuring the electric resistance between the electrodes. The measuring means bring about the generation of a control signal which orders the emission of a pulse or of a series of pulses from the laser source in the region of the detection of a trigger point.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.